Train Beat drum pattern
The traditional train beat: constant alternating 16ths on the snare with accents on 2 and 4, the kick on 1 and 3 and the hi-hat foot on 2 and 4. Press Play to hear it with a sampled drum kit at 150 BPM, change the tempo or swing, and follow every hit on the grid.
How to count the Train Beat
Count it as: 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a. The pattern is one bar of 4/4 (16th-note grid).
The Train Beat pattern, hit by hit
Each character is one step of the grid and each group is one beat. X is an accented hit, x a normal hit, o a quiet or ghost note and - a rest.
| Voice | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Kick | X--- ---- X--- ---- |
| Snare | ---- X--- ---- X--- |
| Ghost snare | oooo -ooo oooo -ooo |
| Pedal hat | ---- x--- ---- x--- |
Tempo and feel
Rolling and economical. Inner snare notes stay very low so the backbeat can breathe. The default tempo is 150 BPM. It plays with 55% swing by default; move the Swing control toward 50% to hear it straight. Slow it down until every hit is controlled, then raise the tempo a few BPM at a time.
How to practise the Train Beat
Play the 16ths hand to hand at an even, low height. Accent only 2 and 4. Add the hi-hat foot on 2 and 4 before the kick.
Variations to try next
Play it with brushes. Add light accents on every and. Straighten the swing.
Where to hear this feel
Records in this family include Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues (At Folsom Prison, W.S. Holland). A style study of the country and rockabilly train beat. Johnny Cash's early Sun records had no drummer; W.S. Holland joined his band in 1960 and played the beat on At Folsom Prison (1968). It is authored for practice, not transcribed.